The Ultimate Cornwall Visitor Guide

Cornwall, it's beautiful isn't it.

My thanks to all of the local bloggers, brands and tourism experts that helped us put this visitor's guide together. It was fascinating to talk to you all about your favourite places in Cornwall, and it's brilliant that your feedback has produced such a variety of options - and uncovered some genuine hidden gems.

Alongside France and Pembrokeshire, Cornwall was my family's summer holiday destination of choice as a child - as it is for so many Brits. My wife and I were regular visitors while living just across the Devon border in Plymouth for a number of years too.

Kynance is certainly a favourite of ours, as is St Ives and tiny Mousehole just south of Penzance. There are several new suggestions here that we'll be trying out over the coming years though - and no doubt we'll continue to update the guide as other great ideas come in.

To everyone reading, please do share your opinions and suggestions by posting a comment using the form below. There must be plenty of other gems still to uncover!

What a fabulous article. It's great seeing everyone's comments and tips. Living 'up north' makes Cornwall seem like such a long trek, and I've only managed it once, but I really do think it deserves another visit now, especially as I've got a decent camera now and fancy myself as a bit of a budding landscape photographer.

Notable for its absence is Charlestown where time seems to have stood still for 200 years.

Recently made popular as one of the major locations for the current Poldark series, it has been a popular filming location for several decades.

It is a place to see old sailing ships and granite houses that fit the 18th century setting of many period television programs.

Wow what a great guide! (Esp #85 ;) We will be sharing this for all our happy campers to enjoy! It just shows how diverse and inspiring Cornwall is to so many people. Because of the outdoor nature of Cornwall, camping heightens the rugged Cornish experience.

This is such a beautiful, honest and useful guide to Cornwall!

In Truro, get plenty of lovely Cornish food from the Cornish Food Box, shop and cafe. Great breakfast ingredients for campers!

Crantock should be on the list - a beautiful sandy beach with a stunning coastal walk around the headland to other beaches. Also has the lovely C-Bay cafe which is a must stop for lunch and a coffee.

Newquay's turning around now, there are fewer stag and hen groups and the beaches are clean and beautiful - and in winter practically deserted! There are some lovely quieter spots around there too if you know where to look! ;)

Another fave has got to be Prussia Cove in Rosudgeon. The coastal path meanders all the way to Praa Sands in one direction and St Michael's Mount in the other - true pirate country with hidden caves and deserted beaches. Paradise.

I haven't been to Cornwall since I was a little girl. I have fond memories of the place though! I particularly remember my Mum taking me to some of the locations from Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.

Wonderful. Love the Cornwall pics and can't wait for Easter when we will be there again xx

Beach - Godrevy is my all time favourite beach, great rock pools, surf and sand, and all overlooking the best lighthouse in Cornwall. If you're looking for a Famous Five beach, Godrevy is the one.

Towns - For me, Penzance is the most interesting Cornish town. Far more genuine and bohemian than it's glitzy, over crowded neighbour St Ives. Great eateries and individual shops can be found in every winding street.

Hidden Gems - Prussia Cove, off the beaten track but worth every mile.

Must See - The sunrise over St Michaels Mount from Newlyn. The bustle of Newlyn harbour as the fishermen prepare for the day to a backdrop of the silhouetted mount.

Walks and Trails - Any footpath over the high West Cornwall moors is a joy to explore. Rare plants and precious wildlife abound.

Things to try - Local craft brewers, Crown Brewery in Penzance make superb local ales.

Places to avoid - In the Summer, St Ives can be hideously over crowded, over priced and over hyped.

This has to be the best website I have ever seen on Cornwall, to say I am jealous would be an understatement, being what many may call an old fart it makes my pictures of Cornwall look old hat nowadays.

Like many gutted that some places have missed out including Rame, Cornwalls Forgotton Corner which is were I live, so much to see there? No pictures of Whitsands Bay (my local beach!) either - the beach has won awards.

Please look at my website nothing like this one but I do try. Again Rame is unspoilt and thankfully it will stay that way.

All the best everyone, Cliff

What a gorgeous selection of places to visit in Cornwall! We've never been....but we're going to make the effort to visit after reading this guide!

SO many good surfing spots, but on a summers day chilling at Kynance Cove on the Lizard is hard to beat.

This is such a beautiful representation of this wonderful county. I appreciate it is intended to be in digital form but wondered about the changes of it made into a publication. I say this after wandering around the bookshops in St Ives and Truro and scanning the internet for something like this in hard copy form to send overseas to be told that there is nothing available and that these vendors would certainly welcome it as they thought it would be a good seller. Just a thought!

Every year we pack up the bodyboards and head to Sandymouth beach near Bude. The kids always ask to go to this beach as they love the surf. A trip into Bude is a must to get a Cornish pasty, hope to be back this year...

I think you'll find, it's the Isles of Scilly.

Thanks for your Cornwall guide. I live in Tasmania on the other side of the world from you but ill be there in June, how can I possibly fit all your must see places in? Looks amazing. Thanks

Some lovely places along the North coast. Polzeath is one of our favourite beaches through Tregardock is a hidden gem for families with older children (age 5 plus). the Camel Trail starts just one mile from us at Coombe Mill and Rough Tor is a lovely cycle ride or drive from us across the moor.

Wow! What gorgeous photographs! Cornwall has long been on our list and now I remember why. So much to do and see, and loads to keep us outdoorsy types amused. Just need to narrow it down now, it all looks so awesome.

Pentewan Sands, Falmouth and Porthlevin

Plan on visiting Cornwall in September.

Sorry, but also quietly glad that you don't have Trebarwith featured. We took our kids & now they take their kids, we still visit at least once a year. It used to be a secluded beach, just us most days but word got round & now many visit.

Spend all day, between the tides, on the beach then up to the 'donut hatch' for a bag of freshly made donuts, a mug of chocolate & sit & watch the sea reclaim the beach & the rocks. If you're lucky you'll be rewarded with one of the best sunsets in Cornwall, heaven here on earth.

Cornwall is a county of hidden gems and great surprises. This website helps find some of these, a great source of information with beautiful photos.

Portwrinkle beach has it all. Not as sandy as the coves of Whitsand bay, but it's got great places for rock-pooling, finding shells and the harbour beach is great for swimming as it's very sheltered.

Kingsands and Cawsands are charming. Cawsands is an excellent wild swimming beach as it is very clean, sheltered and gets deep quickly. The Old Bakery Cafe in Cawsand does proper local apple juice and a bakewell tart to die for.

St Germans is a charming ancient village on the river Lynher, with ancient Norman church, picturesque quay with the rail viaduct towering above it, and good rail connections for touring the rest of Cornwall.

Foundry Square in Hayle has a great selection of independent shops, pasty makers and some fabulous places to eat.

Trevethy Quoit on the foothills of Bodmin Moor is truly impressive and very little known. The area around Trevethy is excellent for exploring on a bicycle; a network of pretty lanes and open moorland.

The Portreath area has such a lot to offer. The village is unpretentious and has a lovely sandy beach with parking conveniently close.. There is a plethora of walks and cycle trails in the area, from the mineral trails going from coast to coast or deep inland, beautiful coastal walks -(the walk for Portreath to Godrevy is stunning, and you are more than likely to see seals on the way) and the nearby Tehidy Country Park offers countless trails through the woods, or around the lake.

Being less well known than places such as Padstow, St Ives and the like, prices tend to be more reasonable The Bassett Arms offers good pub food in convivial surroundings. (Thursday is steak night - delicious steaks, with all the trimmings, and a bottle of wine £25 for two people). Portreath is very accessible, being only 5 minutes drive from the main A30 and about 3 miles from the mainline station of Redruth, but not over crowded. It is a brilliant base for those who wish to explore further afield, as everywhere is so easy to get to.

A really informative and useful tourist guide for all those who love Cornwall. What better place to come on holiday where you can experience wonderful scenery, activities, independant shops and places to eat. My favourite is Looe!

You've actually missed out some of my favourite beaches. One is the unnamed beach near Frogmore, just west of Polruan and Lantic Bay, that the Guardian nicknamed Frog Prince Cove.

Second is Pedn Vounder, just along from Porthcurno. How no one has mentioned that is quite beyond me!

And finally Daymer Bay, on the River Camel Estuary.

You can also try kitesurfing!

West Cornwall is one of the best places in the world to kitesurf with Marazion on the south coast and Gwithian on the north being only 20 minutes apart. This means the wind always blows in the right direction to have maximum fun in the water.

A really great product with stunning photos and a good way to attract visitors who don't know where to go to see the best of Cornwall.

I am disappointed to only see one photo of the lovely Tamar Valley which has so much to offer visitors - what about including Calstock, Cotehele Quay and the Shamrock, Kit Hill? Also a section on some of the lovely houses to visit such as Lanhydrock, Cotehele, Trerice, Caerhays, etc which are great for both adults and children and also ideal for those wet days that we occasionally get in Cornwall !!

What about a section on where to cycle such as Lanhydrock, The Camel Trail, The Tamar Trails, Bodmin Moor etc.?

Fantastic place! The hometown of my husband's family. Nice coast and the Cornish pasties to die for! Would love to come back and see more of Cornwall soon!

One of my favourite places to go in Cornwall is the waterfall at St Nectan's Glen. It's very peaceful and spiritual - and sooo photogenic. I go camping in Cornwall most years and that's one of my favourite beauty spots!

My choices for the most beautiful places in Cornwall are Kynance Cove and St Ives. Both are just breathtaking. We visited for the first time last month (it's a trek from up north!) and definitely wish we'd had longer.

Couldn't agree with you more Fran - they are two of my absolute favourites. Have you seen the opening scene of this video from VisitCornwall? It's just spectacular!

Wow amazing site... Living in Cornwall, each day I wake up near the ocean and walk along the gorgeous sandy beaches. Then a 5 minute stroll and I'm in the town enjoying a coffee... you guessed it... I'm in Falmouth.

I've been to Cornwall once, but it was an amazing time. I visited my ancestral village of St. Teath, where I found the grave of my 3rd great grandfather. I had dinner of the best fish and chips at the Golden Lion pub/restaurant in Port Isaac. And finally visited the slate quarry where my ancestors mined 200 years ago, and they gave me samples of the slate to take with me. I cannot wait to return and see more of this fantastic place.

Can't wait to show my daughter Cornwall, many good memories when I was yonger.

It's a bit off the beaten track, but if you can find it, the beach at Portheras, near Pendeen, is a relatively undiscovered secret. The easiest way to find it is to drive to Pendeen Lighthouse, park in the free car park, and then it's a short walk east along the coast path to reach the beach. It's a fantastic, quiet spot, guaranteed to be crowd free. It's also popular with seals, so if you're in luck you might see them down there too!